Baby mine
by writerinthedarkk
Summary: AU. Callie is 8 years old and living with her parents, until an incident forces her out of her home and into the Fosters home. How does she adjust to such a change?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I know there are plenty of stories about Callie entering the Fosters as a younger child, but I wanted to do my take on it. In this story she's 8 and both of her parents are still alive, so it is more of an AU universe! There is no Jude in this story but I may add him later. I hope you enjoy! Also because it has to be said, I don't own the Fosters no matter how much i wish i did.**

Callie could smell the smoke from the burning curtains in the living room. Her eyes burned as she opened her eyes. She quickly got out of bed and into the hallway where she could see the fire getting bigger and bigger. Her parents both lay on the couch, slumped over each other. Empty beer cans littered the table, along with various needles.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" Callie screamed from the hallway.

Neither of them budged. Callie ran to the kitchen. She stood on her tiptoes as she reached for the phone on the wall. Her little hands shook as she quickly dialed 911.

"911 what's your emergency?"

"There's a fire in my house and mommy and daddy aren't moving!" Callie yelled into the phone, nearing hysterics.

"Okay honey what I need you to do is tell me your address and then get out of the house," said the operator on the other line.

"5776 Riverside Drive, San Diego California!" Callie responded quickly, spitting it off like she had practiced at school.

"Good job. Now, go outside away from the fire. We are sending people to help you and your mommy and daddy, okay?"

Callie agreed and quickly dropped the phone. She slipped out the back door and ran toward the front of the house. Several neighbors were outside standing on their front porches. When Callie could hear the sirens coming from the firetruck, she began jumping, waving her hands in the air as if the fire itself wouldn't catch their attention.

The rest happened so fast. A group of firefighters exited the truck, instructing her to stay near the sidewalk. Callie looked around in panic, screaming that her mom and dad were still inside. It wasn't long until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hi honey, my name is Stef. What's your name?"

"Callie. My mommy and daddy are still inside the house!" Callie exclaimed with wide eyes that filled with tears.

"I know. The nice firefighters are in there right now helping them. They will probably need to go to the hospital, and so will you to make sure you aren't hurt," The blonde explained.

The young girl looked at her with pleading eyes. Callie was afraid of hospitals.

"I don't want to go," Callie said, shaking her head.

"It'll be okay, sweetheart. I will even go with you and make sure nothing bad happens to you. That way I can talk to you too, about mommy and daddy," Stef replied in an attempt to calm the girl.

"I'm not supposed to talk to police officers about mommy and daddy," Callie said.

Stef looked puzzled. "Why not?" she asked.

"They said so," Callie said simply.

"Well Callie, how about me and you make our way to the hospital in that ambulance and maybe you can tell me more about why mommy and daddy don't want you to talk to me," Stef suggested, pointing at one of 3 ambulances lined up on the street.

Callie shook her head. "I don't want to go to the hospital."  
Stef sighed. Her intention wasn't to make the already unstable girl upset. "I'm sorry honey, but we have to. I promise I won't leave your side though."

Callie looked down at her feet. She was afraid. Afraid of the hospital and afraid of and for her parents. Eventually, she stuck her little hand up, her pinky extended.

"Do you pinky promise?" She asked so quietly Stef almost missed it.

Stef crouched down to Callie's level and wrapped her pinky around the tiny one in front of her. "I pinky swear I will not leave your side tonight. You just have to trust me."

The two made their way to the ambulance, where they immediately gave Callie an oxygen mask. It wasn't until then that she felt the pain in her chest from the smoke. Callie sat on the gurney clutching on to Stef's hand on her lap.

The ride seemed relatively short. They arrived at the hospital and Callie sat and waited in the emergency room with Stef, who was trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation about the young girl's parents.

"So, Callie. Do you spend a lot of time with mommy and daddy?" Stef asked.

Callie shook her head. "No. They're usually with friends. Or I'm in my room. They tell me to stay in there a lot."

Stef furrowed her eyebrows, "why's that?" she asked.

"Mommy and daddy don't want me to see them when they do bad stuff. If I leave my room I get in trouble," Callie explained, avoiding eye contact with the older woman.

"What kind of bad stuff?" Stef continued, treading lightly.

Callie swallowed hard. Her mom and dad always told her to never tell anyone anything.

"Callie, honey, you can tell me. I promise I'm here to help," Stef tried.

"Mommy calls it their special medicine," Callie said after a long pause.

Stef nodded. "And what happens when they take their special medicine?"

Callie shrugged, but it wasn't very convincing to Stef.

"Do they ever say mean things or hurt you?" Stef asked, urging the girl to speak up.

"Sometimes they leave me all alone. Or they tell me that I'm stupid when I ask them to play with me. One time daddy put a cigarette out on my arm because I left my room when I wasn't supposed to. It hurt," Callie said, rubbing the raised scar on her arm.

Stef's heart broke as she thought of her own children at home that were so close to her age. She couldn't imagine anyone doing that to a child so small.

"How long do they leave you by yourself?" Stef questioned.

Callie shrugged. "I dunno. Sometimes it's a few hours. Sometimes it's a couple of days."

"Does that make you sad?" Stef asked.

Callie nodded. "I don't like to be all by myself. It's scary."

"I'm sure it is sweetheart," Stef said, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. She noticed the brunette flinch at the touch.

"Did I hurt you?" Stef asked.

Callie shook her head, but her eyes told a different story.

"Do you mind if I look at your arm, honey?" Stef coaxed gently with pleading eyes.

Callie shook her head, giving Stef permission to life her pajama shirt up, exposing the growing purple bruise.

Stef had seen several cases of abuse, though it never got any easier. She again, found herself thinking of her own children at home. Her heart broke at the sight of such a large bruise on such a tiny person. She had to calm the rage that came with it, though.

"What happened to your arm, sweetie?" Stef asked gently, allowing her to say it was her parents that caused it on her own terms.

"Daddy told me not to tell," Callie explained with such intense fear in her voice.

"Remember what I said, Callie? That you can trust me?" Stef reminded, grabbing the young girl's hand in her own.

"Daddy got mad at me for crying. He grabbed me really hard and shook me, but it just made me cry harder. Then he got even madder so he threw me on the floor in my room and made me stay in there all night," Callie admitted, her big brown eyes looking up at the cop in front of her.

Callie didn't know what to feel. She felt like she was betraying her parents, and she didn't want to do that. She wanted them to love her.

"Callie, you know that's not okay, right? Mommy and daddy aren't supposed to do those things to you," Stef said, not breaking eye contact with the young girl.

Before Callie could reply, a doctor came through the curtain.

"Hello there, my name is Dr. Calvin. What's your name?" The short, dark skinned woman asked.

"Callie," Callie muttered softly.

"Alright, well Callie. We're just going to check and make sure everything is okay. Fire's can be scary and dangerous, but it looks like you made it out pretty well," Dr. Calvin smiled.

Callie nodded but didn't say anything. She was scared of doctors. Mommy and daddy always got mad at her after she had to go to one.

"Okay, I'm going to check your heartbeat and lungs, then take your blood pressure. I'm also going to need to take just a little bit of blood, okay?" Dr. Calvin explained, putting her gloves on.

Callie violently shook her head. "No I don't want you to take my blood!"

"Hey, honey it's okay. I'll be right here and you can squeeze my hand as hard as you want to, okay?" Stef said, jumping to help calm the girl.

Callie looked at Stef, her eyes spilling over with tears. "I don't like needles. Mommy and daddy get mean after they use needles. I don't want to get mean!"

"Oh, sweetie. That won't happen. When mommy and daddy use needles, they are putting something into their body. This is just taking out some blood to make sure you are okay," Stef explained. Her heart continued to break every time the girl spoke.

Callie sniffled, but ultimately agreed after the battle inside her head. Dr. Calvin proceeded, taking her vitals and checking her lungs. When Callie saw the needle, she grabbed Stef's hand and squeezed.

"All done. You did great, Callie! If everything checks out, you'll be able to get out of here," Dr. Calvin said warmly.

"Where are mommy and daddy?" Callie asked.

"They're getting looked at by the doctors. They'll be okay, though. They got a little burned by the fire, so they will be in the hospital for a little while," Dr. Calvin explained.

Callie didn't reply.

"Officer, could I talk to you really quickly?" Dr. Calvin asked, inching towards the outside of the curtain.

Stef nodded and stood up, but felt a tug on her pants.

"Don't leave me!" Callie begged.

"I'll be right out here. I won't even shut the curtain, that way you can still see me. I promised I wouldn't go anywhere so I'm not," Stef assured.

Callie nodded. She felt so scared. She wanted her mom and dad to be okay, but she knew they would be so angry at her for talking to the police. She was made to promise that she wouldn't tell them, but she did. All she wanted was Stef back in the room. She felt safer with her there.

After what felt like an eternity, Stef came back in and closed the curtain. She crouched down next to Callie.

"Okay Callie, someone is going to come talk to you about mommy and daddy, and they are going to find you somewhere to stay for the night and the next couple of days," Stef began.

Callie nodded, and the two waited until the CPS worker came. It wasn't long until a young man walked through the curtain.

"Hi Callie. My name is Andrew," He said, extending his hand out to Callie.

Callie grabbed it and gave him a light shake.

Andrew pulled up a chair and sat next to the foot of the bed where Callie remained.

"I know tonight must have been scary for you. Do your parents not wake up like that a lot?" He asked.

Callie shrugged. "No. Not all the time. But usually I'm in my room so I don't know."

Andrew nodded. He continued to ask Callie questions similar to the one's that Stef had asked earlier. Callie's nervousness was evident in her body language. Stef placed a supportive hand on Callie's knee.

"Okay, Callie. Do you have any other family members?" Andrew questioned.

Callie shook her head "no."

Andrew nodded back.

"Well, it looks like we're going to have to find you a foster family for a while-" Andrew began until he was cut off.

"No, no I don't want to! I don't want to go back again!" Callie screamed, her tears falling again.

Andrew looked confused as he flipped through some paperwork.

"Callie, have you been to a foster family before?" He asked.

"Yes. It was scary and they were mean. I don't want to go back," Callie cried, looking between Stef and Andrew.

Andrew sighed. This was always the most difficult part, and he was still confused as to why he didn't know Callie had previously been in a foster home.

"I know it's scary, but we will find someone really nice. You can't stay with your mom and dad. They're going to be in the hospital for a few days, and we need to talk to them about the way they treat you. We need you somewhere safe for the night," Andrew tried explaining.

Callie continued to shake her head and cry. "Please don't make me go back. I promise I'll be good!"

Before she could stop herself, Stef spoke up. "I can take her. My wife and I have a fostering license."

Andrew looked over at Stef. "I'd have to look into it, but I don't see a problem. Only if you're sure, though."

"I'm sure. As long as it's okay with Callie, it's not a problem at all," Stef assured. She would explain it to Lena later, and knowing her wife, she would understand. Hopefully.

"I want to go with Stef! I don't want to go anywhere else, please don't make me!" Callie begged, nearing hysterics.

"Let me just make a quick call," Andrew said, pulling his phone out and walking behind the curtain.

Stef went to the chair Andrew was sitting in and positioned herself in front of Callie.

"Love, I need you to try to calm down, okay? Take a few deep breaths for me." Stef instructed, grabbing the small hands in hers.

Callie nodded and took shaky breaths to relax herself. The thought of going to another foster home terrified her, and she didn't want to go anywhere but Stef's.

Andrew came back into the room after a few minutes.

"Alright Callie. You're gonna go with Stef. I'm going to go by your house tomorrow and get you some stuff, unless it can't wait?" Andrew said, looking at Stef at the last part.

"She can wear some of my daughter's stuff for the night," Stef assured.

"Okay. I will be in contact with you tomorrow morning. I'll also gather up some information for a file and bring over the paperwork in the morning with her things," Andrew confirmed.

Stef handed him her card and thanked him.

"You ready to go, kiddo? I bet you're tired," Stef said.

Callie nodded and hopped off the hospital bed. Stef grabbed her hand, and together the two of them walked out of the hospital.

* * *

Once Callie was situated in the back seat, Stef pulled her phone out and dialed Lena's number. It was late, but she always stayed up when Stef worked late shifts.

"Hey honey, how's it going?" Lena answered after 2 rings.

"Well there was a situation, a fire," Stef began before she was cut off.

"A fire?! Are you okay? Where are you?" Lena exclaimed, spitting question after question.

"Love I'm fine. There was a little girl, Callie. She had nowhere to go. I'll explain more later, but can you set up the couch tonight and grab a pair of Mariana's pajamas?" Stef asked.

She could hear Lena let out a breath she was holding on the other line.

"Um, yeah. When will you be here?"

"15 minutes. I'll see you then. I love you, thank you," Stef said, hanging up after she heard Lena's "love you."

Stef was grateful for her partner. She was so gracious both times she decided on a whim to bring home a child.

"You doing okay back there?" Stef called as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Mhm," Callie muttered.

Callie stared out the window for the entire drive. She watched as the trees seemed to run past her, and she wished she could run that fast, too. She began tracing shapes on the window, her hands still shaking. Before she knew it, they were pulling up to a big house. It was the nicest house she had ever seen.

Stef got out of the car and opened Callie's door, helping her as she jumped out of the back seat. She bent down to Callie's level.

"So, we're setting up the couch downstairs for you, but don't worry, it's super comfy! My kids are asleep, but you can meet them and play with them tomorrow. Brandon is your age, and Mariana and Jesus are 7," Stef began explaining, preparing the young girl for what would await her inside.

Callie nodded, bringing her finger to the bridge of her nose.

"And you know how you have a mommy and a daddy? Well, my kids have two mommies. But don't worry, my partner Lena is the nicest person. You will love her," Stef continued.

Callie nodded again. Stef gave her a smile then grabbed the little hand in hers as they walked up to the door. Lena opened the door like clockwork.

"Lena, this is Callie. Callie, this is my partner Lena," Stef introduced.

Callie hid her little body behind Stef's leg. She didn't know why she was afraid. Stef said she was nice, and Stef was nice. Lena gave her a big smile anyways as she crouched down in front of her. Callie could smell vanilla coming from the woman.

"Hi, Callie. It's nice to meet you," Lena said putting her hand out towards Callie.

Callie reached her hand out and gripped onto Lena's hand. It was soft, like velvet. Callie let out a small smile. She couldn't be mean. They were nice. She wanted to be nice too.

"I'm going to change really fast then I'll be back down. Do you think you could stay with Lena while I run up there and do that?" Stef asked, allowing Callie to feel like she had control.

Callie nodded, still not saying anything.

Stef gave Lena a small peck on the cheek before going up the stairs.

"Well, Callie. Here's some pajamas you can wear and a toothbrush. The bathroom is this way," Lena said, grabbing the pajamas and guiding her to the bathroom.

"Thank you," Callie muttered as she grabbed the pajamas and toothbrush.

The pajamas had Ariel from The Little Mermaid on them. She switched out her clothes then began brushing her teeth slowly. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion.

When she was done, she grabbed her dirty, smoke smelling clothes and walked out of the bathroom.

"I can take those," Lena offered as Callie entered the living room.

Callie handed the clothes off to Lena, who gave her a warm smile.

The two stood in the silence for a moment until they heard Stef's footsteps coming down the stairs. Callie looked up at Stef, her long blonde hair was out of its tight bun and she had on a Padres shirt. It made her feel more at ease. The cop uniform was scary.

"Don't you look cozy!" Stef smiled as she saw Callie in her daughter's pajamas.

Callie offered a smile back to Stef. The smile quickly turned into a yawn. It was nearly 2 am by now.

"Here, let's get you into bed. I know you must be exhausted," Stef said, placing her hand on Callie's back as she guided her to the makeshift bed on the couch.

Stef looked back at Lena, telling her in their own language that she would be up there in a little while.

"I'll see you in the morning, Callie. Sleep well," Lena said sweetly before making her way upstairs.

"Are you going to go upstairs too?" Callie asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she placed her head on the pillow.

"Not if you don't want me to," Stef replied.

Callie was afraid. She didn't want to make Stef hate her by making her stay up with her. But, Stef could see the internal battle going on in the girls head.

"How about I sit here with you until you fall asleep, would that help you?" Stef proposed.

Callie shook her head, prompting Stef to sit down and place Callie's head in her lap. She began stroking the long, brown curls. It was only a few moments until she heard a small sniffle.

"Oh, honey. It's okay. You're okay here," Stef tried, wiping the tear off of the girl's cheek.

"I'm just sad," Callie simply stated.

Stef's heart broke even more. She had never heard an 8-year-old sound so defeated.

"You know, sometimes when my kids are sad, I sing them a song. They all have their own song, but I'm sure I could pull out another one for you," Stef suggested.

Callie nodded her head in Stef's lap.

" _Baby mine, don't you cry.  
Baby mine, dry your eyes.  
Rest your head close to my heart,  
Never to part, baby of mine.  
Little one, when you play,  
Pay no heed what they say.  
Let your eyes sparkle and shine,  
Never a tear, baby of mine.  
If they knew all about you,  
They'd end up loving you too.  
All those same people who scold you,  
What they'd give just for the right to hold you.  
From your head down to your toes,  
You're not much, goodness knows.  
But, you're so precious to me,  
Sweet as can be, baby of mine."_

 **The song is from Dumbo, actually. So again, I don't own that either!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Thank you for your response! I am getting this up quickly because I had it ready but fair warning, updates will be pretty sporadic considering I am a full time student and have a job so just hang in there with me!**

Stef sang until she could feel Callie's breathing even out. Gently, she lifted the girl's head off of her lap and placed it on the pillow. She looked at her watch, noting it had been nearly half an hour. She quietly snuck up the stairs and slipped into hers and Lena's room. Lena, of course, was still awake.

"I'm sorry, love. She couldn't fall asleep. I'm also sorry for springing this on you without talking to you first but God, Lena if you would have been there and seen how afraid she was," Stef began explaining, sitting down at the foot of the bed.

Lena sat up. "It's okay, honey. As long as she's asleep and okay," she said, gently caressing Stef's face.

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a little while, until Lena spoke up.

"So, what is her situation?"

Stef sighed. "She called 911 because she woke up to her house on fire. Her parents were passed out on the couch. Either an overdose or too much alcohol. Most likely both. They're at the hospital being treated, but I'm not sure how well they're doing. But, it's obvious that they care more about getting high than this little girl. She said they leave her alone a lot. Hell, they passed out and the house caught fire."

Lena rubbed Stef's cheek as she spoke. Stef cared so deeply for people, and Lena knew she would do the same thing if she were in that situation.

"I just couldn't leave her. CPS came and told her she'd need to go to a foster home and she just started screaming and crying. If you would have seen her-" Stef continued before being cut off.

"Baby, it's okay. I understand. I would have done the same thing. What matters is that she's safe here. We will figure this out, just like we always do," Lena comforted, kissing Stef's forehead gently.

"We should wake the kids up earlier. That way we can talk to them so they aren't confused when they go downstairs. Then Callie can sleep more too," Stef proposed.

"Sounds like a good idea. Now, I think you need to rest, too. Come on," Lena said, patting on the empty space next to her on the bed.

Stef quickly obliged, getting herself under the covers and snuggled up to Lena, who cradled her and planted small kisses on her head.

The two fell asleep for a few hours, waking up to the alarm they had set. The clock read 7:30, and both women got out of bed fairly quickly.

"I'll grab the twins if you want to get Brandon up," Lena offered.

Stef smirked. "You want the kids that are easy to wake up. Leaving me with Brandon's morning attitude."

Lena chuckled, "I'm not denying that statement."

Quietly, each mother crept into their kids' room and gently woke them up. Eventually, the 5 of them found themselves back in the moms' room.

"Why do we have to be awake so early. It's Sunday!" Brandon whined.

"Because Mama and I need to talk to you about something," Stef said, urging them to sit on the bed.

The three kids sat down on the bed while the two women crouched down to be level with them.

"So last night a little girl needed my help. Her name is Callie and she's 8, just like you Brandon," Stef said, looking towards Brandon. "Her house caught on fire and her parents aren't very nice, so she needed somewhere to stay. She's downstairs on the couch sleeping. So, I need you guys to let her sleep, and when she does wake up, I expect you to all be nice to her. She's scared and this is all brand new for her."

"Don't worry, Mom. We will be nice. Just like Brandon was to me and Mariana," Jesus said.

Stef smiled at her son. She loved his heart and how sweet he was.

"Thank you, baby," Stef said, leaning in to kiss his forehead.

"Mariana?" Lena said, looking at the young girl.

"I'll be nice. Maybe we can play Barbie when she wakes up," Mariana offered.

"I'm sure she'd love that, Miss Thing," Lena replied.

"And Brandon, you were so nice when Mariana and Jesus first got here, so I trust you will be nice to Callie, too," Stef stated, cupping his chin in her hand.

Brandon nodded and smiled.

"Alright, my babies! Let's be quiet while Mama and I make breakfast," Stef ordered, standing up.

Lena stood up and tied her hair back. Soon enough, everyone parted ways. The kids went back into their rooms, except Mariana.

"Can I cook with you, Mommies?" She asked sweetly.

"Of course you can, baby. We always love it when we have our little helper in the kitchen," Lena answered.

They knew that Mariana would begin to get insecure. They had been adopted for a little over a year, but she was still living in fear that something might happen.

In the kitchen, the three worked to make pancakes and bacon. Mariana helped Lena make the pancake mix, breaking a few eggs in the process. Stef worked on the bacon, praying she wouldn't burn it. By 9, the table was set and their two sons joined them in the kitchen. The moms' were sure to make sure they stayed quieter than normal.

In the living room, Callie's nose crinkled as she woke to the smell of bacon. Her eyes fluttered open and she could hear the quiet chatter coming from the kitchen. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, accompanied by a long yawn. She sat for a moment. Should she go into the kitchen on her own, or wait until they came to get her. Ultimately, she decided to stand up and walk towards the kitchen. She stood in the archway between the two rooms. Stef looked up and smiled, quickly wiping her face and swallowing as she stood up from the table.

"Good morning, sleepy head. How did you sleep?" Stef asked as she made her way to the little girl.

"Good," Callie replied shyly as she placed her finger around her nose.

"Good. I hope you're hungry. There's tons of pancakes and bacon for your belly," Stef smiled as she guided Callie to the seat next to hers.

"Everyone, this is Callie. Callie, these are our kids. That's Brandon, he's the same age as you, and those are our twins, Jesus and Mariana. They're just a year younger than you," Stef introduced.

Callie felt her body suddenly tense up. She felt nervous and out of place.

"Do you like Barbie's?" Mariana asked.

Callie's eyes got a little brighter. "Yea, but I don't have any."

"That's okay, I have a lot. We can play with them after breakfast if you want to," Mariana offered.

Stef and Lena watched as the two interacted and smiled. They didn't doubt that their kids would be welcoming and sweet, but it still made them feel good to see it.

Callie nodded her head and smiled.

"Let me make you a plate, Callie," Lena offered, getting up and grabbing the plate off the table.

She placed 2 pancakes and 2 pieces of bacon on the plate and placed it back in front of the girl.

"What do you want to drink, honey?" Lena asked, heading to the fridge.

"Um," Callie scanned the cups in front of her, "do you have apple juice?"

"We sure do!" Lena replied, pulling the bottle out of the fridge.

Callie watched as the juice poured into the glass, fixing all of her focus onto it. She hesitated to start eating. Normally, her parents didn't make this much, and she was so hungry. She picked up the syrup and poured it over the pancakes as if she was in a trance, then grabbed her fork and started eating. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she actually swallowed the pancakes. Before she knew it, her plate was empty.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eat it all," Callie shuddered when she realized what she had done. Normally mommy and daddy got mad when she ate everything. They told her she was greedy. She didn't want to be greedy.

Stef and Lena looked at each other with confusion.

"It's okay, sweets. You can even have more if you want," Stef offered kindly.

Callie shook her head. "That's okay."

"Why don't you kids run off and play then while we clean up?" Lena suggested.

"Okay. Come on, Callie!" Mariana called, motioning for Callie to follow her upstairs.

Callie looked over at Stef as if she was asking for permission.

"Go ahead, love," Stef assured.

In the kitchen, Stef and Lena began clearing the table.

"She's so afraid, Stef," Lena finally said.

"I know," Stef agreed, blowing hair out of her face.

She could hear her phone ringing from the nook.

"That's probably Andrew. Let me go grab that," Stef called, putting the plates she had in her hand into the sink.

"Hello?" Stef answered, wiping her wet hands on her pants.

"Hi, Stef? It's Andrew from CPS," said the voice on the other line.

"Yea, yea. Hi, Andrew," Stef replied.

"So I've gotten more information about Callie like her most recent medical and dental visits. I also got her a bag of stuff from her room. Luckily her room wasn't damaged in the fire," Andrew began.

"Sounds good. Do you have any news on the parents?" Stef questioned.

"I called the hospital. They are both still breathing through tubes, but they are getting extracted today which is a good sign. However, the police as well as myself will be in there to talk to them as soon as possible. It's likely they're getting hit with drug charges and child endangerment, which means Callie's going to need to find a long-term foster home while that is all figured out," Andrew replied.

"Let me talk to Lena. I'm sure she can stay as long as she needs to," Stef offered.

If she was being honest, she didn't trust the system enough to let Callie get lost in it.

"Well, I'll be stopping over in about an hour. We can hash out everything then," Andrew answered.

They said their goodbyes and Stef went back into the kitchen.

"What did Andrew say?" Lena asked, looking back from the sink.

"Her parents are still breathing through tubes. They'll be extracted today. They're most likely getting drug and child endangerment charges. He said he would need to look into finding her a long-term foster home," Stef said with a sigh.

Lena dried her hands off and looked at Stef. She knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't allow herself to let Callie get hurt.

"And you want that to be us?" Lena asked.

Stef looked at her partner, "I promised her she'd be okay. I can't fall back on that. I know this was sprung on you in the first place, so I told Andrew we would talk about it."

Lena hesitated, but ultimately, she was in the same boat as Stef. Her caring heart couldn't stand the thought of that young girl getting hurt even more than she already had been.

"We'll make it work," Lena said.

Stef felt a weight lift off of her chest. Callie deserved some peace of mind for once in her life.

Upstairs, Callie and Mariana sat on the floor in Mariana's room. Callie had never seen so many toys in her life. There were barbies, cars, stuffed animals, everything. She was pretty sure her barbies had more clothes than her.

"This is my favorite one. But you can play with her if you want," Mariana offered, picking up the brunette barbie.

"That's okay. It's your barbie so you should get to play with her," Callie replied. She didn't want to make Mariana mad.

"When I first got here mommies' let me use their favorite blanket. So, I want you to use my favorite doll," Mariana pushed, handing over the barbie.

Callie grabbed the barbie and smiled. The two played for a little while until they were interrupted by the doorbell. Callie froze, knowing that it had to be Andrew. She felt her chest tighten. All of a sudden, she found it hard to breathe, and she just started crying. Mariana didn't know what to do.

"MOMMY!" She screamed, knowing they would come right away.

Like clockwork, both women appeared in the room.

"What is it baby?" Lena asked.

Mariana pointed at Callie. "Something is wrong! I don't know what happened. We were playing, and I was being nice!"

"It's okay, sweetie. We know you were being nice. Can you do us a big favor? I need you to go downstairs and ask the nice man, Andrew, if he would like something to drink. Then go into one of your brother's room, okay?" Lena tried as Stef approached Callie.

Mariana nodded, and did what her Mama said, running down the stairs.

Lena joined Stef, who was talking to Callie.

"Hey, honey. Can you take a breath for me?" Stef asked, attempting to calm the girl down before seeing what the problem was.

Callie took in a shaky breath of air, sniffling in the process. She couldn't stop crying, and she didn't want to get in trouble.

"I'm-I'm s-s-sorry," Callie stuttered, but both women could hear how afraid she was.

"Oh, sweetie it's okay. It's okay to cry, we just need you to take a deep breath so you don't make yourself sick, that's all," Lena explained this time.

Callie did as she was told, continuing to try to take stable and deep breaths. Her body wouldn't cooperate, and her head was beginning to hurt along with her chest.

"My-my chest, it hurts," Callie stammered.

"I know, I know, just keep breathing. Think of something super happy. What's your favorite movie?" Stef tried.

"The Wizard of Oz," Callie answered between breaths.

"That's one of my favorites, too!" Lena answered back, rubbing the girl's back.

"You know how Dorothy clicks her feet together 3 times to get back home? Why don't you try to click your heels together to come back to us? To calm down," Stef suggested.

Callie looked down at her feet. She clicked her heels together once.

"Alright that was once, now give us two more!" Stef encouraged.

Callie did two more, hearing the two women count it out loud with her. When she was finished, she looked up, surprised that her breathing had begun to even out and return back to normal.

"Good job, love. Now, what's got you all worked up and upset?" Stef asked once she saw that Callie was calmer.

"Andrew," Callie answered.

"What about him?" Stef asked.

Lena allowed her to take the lead, at least for now. Callie trusted Stef more than her at the moment.

"I don't want to go with him. I'm afraid. He's gonna take me and put me into a scary house. Or to mommy and daddy who are going to be so mad at me," Callie replied.

"Oh, honey. Andrew isn't here to take you away. He's here to drop off some more stuff for you! And he's here to give us some information about you that we need to take care of you. Your mommy and daddy are still in the hospital, and they are going to be getting in trouble for the stuff they've done to you, so Andrew wanted to come and see if it was okay that you stay here longer," Stef began explaining, figuring honesty was the best way to approach this.

Callie's eyes widened. Her head was so confused, because she's supposed to love her parents and want to be with them, but her parents were scary. They yelled at her, and they didn't want to spend time with her.

"We know this is scary, but you're going to be here for a while, and we aren't going to hurt you. You can laugh and smile and play here, but you can also cry if you need to. You're not going to get in trouble," Lena added after Callie's hesitation.

Callie just nodded, hooking her finger onto her nose. She felt guilty for not wanting to see her parents. She felt guilty for wanting to stay. Everything was so confusing, and she didn't understand why.


End file.
